Taxi Driver at 50 – how Scorsese and De Niro made a masterpiece

DCM Editorial Summary: This story has been independently rewritten and summarised for DCM readers to highlight key developments relevant to the region. Original reporting by RTE, click this post to read the original article.

Fifty years ago this month, U.S. cinema changed forever with the release of a piece of cinema that felt less like a movie and more like a fever dream of New York City…

In February of 1976, Taxi Driver was unleashed into a chaotic, disillusioned America – a country still reeling from the scars of the Vietnam War and the scandal of Richard Nixon’s resignation. It was a confrontational, brave, and deeply disturbing masterpiece that captured the paranoia of a nation in freefall.

But looking back from 2026, what’s perhaps most remarkable is the extraordinary talent involved. Taxi Driver brought together four future icons of cinema, who were at that moment the in the foothills of their ascents to legendary status: actors Robert De Niro and Jodie Foster,… screenwriter Paul Schrader, and visionary director Martin Scorsese.

For RTÉ Arena, Paul Whitington looks back at Taxi Driver on it’s 50th anniversary – listen above, and hear more from Arena here.